Seven labor unions back Speaker candidates in move to thwart Johnson

A coalition of seven unions has agreed to back three, out of eight candidates, vying to be City Council speaker — Mark Levine, Donovan Richards and Ritchie Torres.

Absent from their list are Manhattan's Corey Johnson and Brooklyn's Robert Cornegy, who are seen as viable contenders for the seat.

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The labor organizations who banded together include: 1199 SEIU, 32BJ, the New York State Nurses Association, Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, District Council 37, and locals of the United Auto Workers and Communications Workers of America.

Their reasons for backing the three candidates vary, but one unifying factor is their opposition to Johnson, whose campaign is supported by the politically influential Hotel Trades Council.

In the case of 32BJ, anger has lingered over Johnson signing a letter in 2016 that went after the local and national union for a deal they were working on with Airbnb — a company the Hotel Trades Council has been doing battle with for years.

The move does not seal the fate of any candidate, however. The most significant factor in the race is support from Queens and Bronx Democratic party bosses who have yet to weigh in. They are said to be considering Johnson, Levine and Cornegy, who is close to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a political heavyweight in Brooklyn whose influence matters to Queens party leader and Rep. Joe Crowley.

“Now, more than ever, working people need bold leaders in New York City who will stand up against the forces of inequality and division," the group said in a statement. "As leaders of unions representing over half a million working New Yorkers, we held a conversation with the Speaker candidates so they could hear our members’ concerns and share their own plans for the future of working people in our city. We are united in supporting the candidates that we think are the best choices for moving our city forward: Donovan Richards, Mark Levine and Ritchie Torres."

Levine and Torres both have a shot at winning the seat, though Torres has previously been at odds with Bronx party bosses. Richards has little chance due to friction between him and Crowley over his backing of outgoing speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in 2013, when Crowley supported her opponent, Dan Garodnick.

Cornegy's primary problem is that he is out of favor with two important unions: Hotel Trades Council and the United Federation of Teachers because of his support for Airbnb and charter schools. UFT has yet to weigh in.

Candidates were preparing for a debate at NY1 Friday night and none commented for the story.